Nearly 20,000 call to free Kyrgyz, Tibetan journalists

"I remain hopeful that
I will one day see the sun once more--not through the barred window of my
prison cell but as a free man." -Azimjon
Askarov

Today, on International Human Rights Day, CPJ and close to
20,000 supporters are calling on the governments of China and Kyrgyzstan to
release two journalists imprisoned for reporting on minorities' grievances and
human rights violations.

In China, Dhondup Wangchen
is serving a six-year
prison term for work on his film "Leaving
Fear Behind," which documents conditions faced by Tibetans under Chinese
rule leading up to the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Our petition calling for his
release garnered 14,195 signatures, almost all via Causes.com. The petition was sent to China's president,
Hu Jintao, and likely president-to-be Xi Jinping, today.

In November--the month CPJ honored Wangchen with an International Press Freedom Award--Human
Rights Watch documented
27 Tibetan incidents of self-immolation. Those many acts of desperation highlight
the failure of Chinese authorities to the address the grievances Wangchen set
out to document in his film. Meanwhile, confusion
and concern have grown around Wangchen's assistant on the film, the monk
Jigme Gyatso, who has been missing
since September (he disappeared seven days after CPJ announced Wangchen's
award).

(Courtesy of CNN)

In neighboring Kyrgyzstan, Azimjon
Askarov, a journalist and human rights defender, is serving a life
sentence in connection with his coverage of law enforcement abuses.
CPJ and 5,614 supporters (also mostly garnered on Causes.com) are calling on Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev to
unconditionally release Askarov, also a recipient of CPJ's International Press Freedom Award.

Askarov was taken into police custody while covering human
rights violations during ethnic clashes in southern Kyrgyzstan in 2010. While
in custody, he was repeatedly beaten before
being charged under a series of anti-state crimes, as well as with complicity
in a police officer's murder. His prosecution and conviction have been
challenged by a range of human rights organizations as well as by the Kyrgyz
government's own ombudsman's office. His lawyers recently filed
an appeal with the U.N. Human Rights Committee seeking his release.

After learning about CPJ's award, while listening to a
broadcast by Voice of America radio in a cold basement cell of a Kyrgyz jail, Askarov
wrote a letter
of thanks to CPJ. "Fifteen years ago I promised myself that no person and no
circumstance would ever force me to abandon my professional duty, which I have
taken by honor, conscience, and dignity," Askarov wrote to us. "Today,
incarcerated, I am ready to repeat this promise, and I hope that I will have
enough moral strength to stand by these principles of conscience until the end
of my days."

(Courtesy of CNN)

The petition packages for Hu, Xi, and Atambayev include a
list of signatures, photos, and video from the awards ceremony. Every time a
critical voice is imprisoned, the international community must step up and amplify
that voice. Petitions and other awareness-raising campaigns are crucial because
they increase the political cost for the government.

We are also sending copies of the petition packages to the
two prisons. We hope they will make it to the imprisoned and bolster their
moral strength. If not, at least some prison guard will know the outside world
is watching.

UPDATE: This post was changed to correct Xi Jinping's designation and to reflect that the petition is also being sent to current Chinese President Hu Jintao. It was also updated to correct the number of signatures on Wangchen's petition and to reflect that both petitions were circulated on Causes.com.

Assistant Advocacy Director Magnus Ag is a New York-based human rights advocate and journalist. Prior to joining CPJ in 2010, Ag worked as head of section in the Danish Ministry for Science, Technology, and Innovation. He holds a bachelor's and a master's degree in political science from the University of Copenhagen. He speaks English, Danish, and Norwegian. Contact him here or follow him on Twitter @AgMagnus.

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Comments

Thank you Magnus Ag and CPJ for your dedication. Please God, may the UN Human Rights Commission take on these matters and intervene.
Askarov and Wangchen must be freed.
How can we celebrate Christmas in a joyful spirit while innocent people who are our eyes and ears languish in prison for bringing us news?

I fervently hope and pray that Dhondup Wangchen, Azimjon Askarov, and all other wrongly imprisoned human rights activists will be released, that the UNITED NATIONS will truly ACT ON THEIR BEHALF, and not simply pay lip service to their plight,, but TAKE ACTION AGAINST ALL COUNTRIES illegally holding these innocent, beautiful human beings...Om mani padme hum _/|\_